Mount Etna blows spectacular 'smoke rings' into the sky

Mount Etna in Sicily, the largest active volcano in Europe, has been blowing spectacular "smoke rings" into the sky since last week.

The "volcanic vortex rings", a rare phenomenon generated by the combination of rapid gas release and the vent shape, spewed out of a new crater that opened on Tuesday on Etna's summit.

Boris Behncke, volcanologist at the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology in Catania Boris, explained in a Facebook post that "no volcano on Earth produces as many vapour rings ('volcanic vortex rings') as Etna".

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Etna is breaking all previous records, Behncke wrote.

"In the late afternoon of 2 April 2024, a small mouth opened on the north-eastern rim of the South-East Crater, producing puffs of glowing gas," he added.

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"By the next morning it was evident that these puffs were producing an impressive amount of steam rings, and this activity has been going on ever since, having already emitted hundreds if not thousands of these pretty rings."

There were no reports of particular disruptions in the surrounding villages or at Catania airport, which often closes in the case of major eruptions.

Mount Etna has been in an almost constant state of activity for the last decade.

In 2021, Etna emitted so much volcanic material over six months that it grew in height by almost 30 metres.

At 3357 metres, Etna is the highest peak in southern Italy.

The summit area consists of five main craters, and most eruptions take place from one of these craters.

While often violent and spectacular, the crater eruptions rarely threaten nearby human communities.